AP: Sludge fertilizer program spurs concerns -- Scientists using federal grants spread fertilizer made from human and industrial wastes on yards in poor, black neighborhoods to test whether it might protect children from lead poisoning in the soil.

Senator Boxer --The co-signers to this letter – environmental, farm, and food safety organizations - support you in your efforts to confront the serious problems inextricably associated with sewers and sewage treatment.

AP: USDA Ordered to compensate Georgia farmer for sludge contaminated cropland.AP: Probe Finds Drugs in Drinking WaterAP: Water Probe Prompts Senate HearingsAir: Too Dirty to Breathe in 345 CountiesEPA Reports On Clean Water Infrastructure NeedsSewer Horror stories A recent story in the Los Angeles Times reported that professors from the Universityof California, Los Angeles and Stanford found 1.5 million people got sick last year in the LosAngeles area alone from damaged pipes that allowed sewage-related bacteria to reach thebeach. So much for solution by dilutionU.S. EPA releases inspection reports for South Marin sewage collection systemsChange to sewage rules may be costly. Sen. Boxer wants concerns over safety of waste disposal addressedSigns and Symptoms of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome - kidney failureE. coli O157:H7 persisted for 154 to 217 days in soils amended with contaminated composts and was detected on lettuce and parsley for up to 77 and 177 days, respectively, after seedlings were planted. Very little difference was observed in E. coli O157:H7 persistence based on compost type alone. E. coli O157:H7 persisted longer (by >60 days) in soil covered with parsley plants than in soil from lettuce plots, which were bare after lettuce was harvested. In all cases, E. coli O157:H7 in soil, regardless of source or crop type, persisted for >5 months after application of contaminated compost or irrigation water.